Rod Carey didn’t expect to be in this situation when he joined the Indiana football staff as the defensive quality control coach before this season.
But there he was Monday, standing at the podium as the Hoosiers’ new offensive line coach.
Carey, a former three-year starting center for IU in the early 1990s, was promoted Sunday to replace Ron Hiller, who was fired after the Hoosiers allowed seven sacks in a 31-10 loss to No. 4 Michigan Saturday.
“I have a real heavy heart for our O-line players and for Coach Hiller,” Carey said. “There isn't anything easy about what happened. And we know the profession, we understand the profession, but those are real relationships. And those are real people.”
Indiana’s offensive line has struggled over the past three games – all losses. Along with the seven sacks allowed to Michigan, IU gave up five sacks in a loss to Cincinnati and three more in a loss to Nebraska.
And, after rushing for 68 and 67 yards against Cincinnati and Nebraska, respectively, the Hoosiers managed just 19 yards on the ground in Saturday’s game.
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“We're in the middle of season,” he said. “This isn't a wave your magic wand and all of the sudden, everything's better. I certainly am not a miracle worker.
“As far as trying to get production out, there isn't time, we got to play Maryland in five (days). But I know that I'm going to try because Coach Allen asked me to try,” he said.
Carey has been working on the defensive side of the ball this fall.
“I don't think there's anything wrong with the setup from a naked eye, but I know me, coming in there. I gotta be me,” Carey said. “Some fundamentals will be the big thing. That change in practice tempo will just be me, not that there wasn't tempo before or anything bad before, it's just I gotta be me, so there gonna be some differences from that side of it.”
Carey began his collegiate coaching career as an offensive line coach. He went on to become the head coach at Northern Illinois from 2012-18, leading the Huskies to six bowl game appearances. He was the head coach at Temple from 2019-21.
Indiana head coach Tom Allen said he hadn’t met Carey before interviewing him for the job here but said he was lucky to have Carey on the staff.
“The chance to have someone that was right here with us on a consistent basis, in our staff meetings around our players to be able to utilize that, was a very positive thing without question,” Allen said. “And he loves Indiana, you know, and believes in what we're doing, so excited to have him in that role.”
Indiana will look to snap a three-game losing streak when Maryland comes to town Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
